Robyn Rihanna Fenty [riˈænə] (* February 20, 1988 in Saint Michael) is a Barbadian R&B and pop singer, actress, fashion designer, and entrepreneur.
She sold more than 250 million records, making her one of the most successful artists worldwide. Additionally, she is the youngest solo artist to achieve 14 number-one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2012, 2013, and 2017, she was the artist with the most streams on Spotify. In 2019, she was declared the richest musician in the world by Forbes Magazine, with a fortune of around 600 million US dollars.
Rihanna was included in the list of the most influential people by Forbes and Time in 2012, named Artist of the Decade by Billboard in 2012, and awarded the title of “Music Icon” at the American Music Awards in 2013. She received nine Grammys and in 2016 was awarded the “Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award” by MTV for her influence in the music industry.
Additionally, she is the founder and owner of the cosmetics company Fenty Beauty, her own lingerie line Savage X Fenty, and the fashion label Fenty.
Life
Rihanna was born in 1988 in the Parish of Saint Michael in Barbados and grew up in the capital, Bridgetown. Her mother, Monica Braithwaite, is an accountant from Guyana, and her father, Ronald Fenty, works as a warehouse supervisor in a clothing factory and is of Irish and Barbadian descent. She has two younger brothers as well as three half-siblings on her father’s side, who come from different relationships of her father. Rihanna initially attended Charles F. Broome Memorial School in Barbados and later the Combermere School. In 2004, she participated in a school beauty pageant and was crowned Miss Combermere School. As a teenager, she participated in a military program where she trained with the Barbados military. Her training instructor was the singer Shontelle. During her childhood, her father took drugs and beat her mother. In 2004, the parents’ marriage was divorced after 14 years.
From 2007 to 2009, Rihanna was in a relationship with the singer Chris Brown. The relationship ended after a violent altercation in February 2009. In March 2009, Brown was charged with assault and making threats. During the trial, Brown pled guilty to the charge of assault in a plea bargain with the judge, thus avoiding a prison sentence. He was sentenced to five years probation, among other things.
From 2017 to January 2020, Rihanna was in a relationship with Saudi Arabian businessman Hassan Jameel.
In 2019, she sued her father because he allegedly used her brand name Fenty unfairly by claiming that his company was associated with Rihanna. However, she herself sells cosmetics and fashion under the brand names Fenty Beauty and Fenty.
Career
Musical Discovery
In 2003, Rihanna formed a girl band with two classmates, which was introduced to producer Evan Rogers the same year. After the band had performed, Rihanna was asked to come back into the room alone and sang the song “Emotion” by Destiny’s Child. With the help of Carl Sturken and Rogers, a demo CD with four songs was created. These included the ballad Last Time, a cover of Whitney Houston’s hit Saving All My Love for You, and Rihanna’s first single Pon de Replay. After the CD was sent to various record companies, the label Def Jam signed her after an audition in New York City. The audition took place in front of the then-CEO of Def Jam Recordings, Jay-Z.
2005–2008: Career Start and Worldwide Breakthrough
After signing a contract with Def Jam Recordings, she recorded her debut album Music of the Sun in the following three months. Producers and songwriters included Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Stargate, and Poke & Tone, among others. The single “Pon de Replay,” which was released internationally on July 26, 2005, reached number 2 on the American Billboard Hot 100 and the British singles charts, becoming a worldwide success. In October 2005, work began on her second album, A Girl Like Me, whose single SOS became Rihanna’s first number-one hit in the USA. The second single, “Unfaithful,” was released and also became a worldwide success. The single reached the top 10 in 18 countries and number one in Canada and Switzerland.
On June 5, 2007, the album Good Girl Gone Bad was released, which became an international top 10 hit. With over nine million records sold worldwide, it is her most successful album to date. The first single, Umbrella, sold over six million copies and is one of the most successful hits worldwide. She received her first Grammy for it. Further singles such as Shut Up and Drive, Hate That I Love You, and Don’t Stop the Music were released. The latter became Rihanna’s second number-one hit in Germany. This was followed by Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad Tour, which lasted until January 2009. Take a Bow and Disturbia shot to the top of the charts in America and sold very successfully worldwide. In November 2008, rapper T.I. released the single “Live Your Life” from his album “Paper Trail.” The song, which he collaborated on with Rihanna, reached number 1 on the US singles chart.
2009–2011: Annual Releases
In December 2008, Rihanna recorded demo songs for her fourth album. The original concept was scrapped following a violent altercation with her then-boyfriend Chris Brown in February 2009, and the incident and her relationship with Brown subsequently influenced the album’s creation. For this album, she collaborated with Ne-Yo, Justin Timberlake, Chase & Status, Stargate, The-Dream, Brian Kennedy, and James Fauntleroy II. For the first time, Rihanna co-wrote the lyrics, was a co-producer on some songs, and was allowed to determine the concept of the album herself. On November 23, the fourth album, Rated R, was released. It sold over three million copies, but could not match the sales figures of Good Girl Gone Bad. Rihanna received consistently good to very good reviews for her fourth studio album, as it “shows a more serious, more mature Rihanna who has something to say.”
The third single, Rude Boy, was released in Germany on March 5, 2010, and reached number 4. In England, Rude Boy made it into the charts a month before the official release, shortly thereafter into the top 3. In the USA, the song reached the top ten, and two weeks later it reached number one, giving Rihanna her sixth number-one hit. On April 16, 2010, Rihanna launched her second world tour, the Last Girl on Earth Tour, in Europe. In July 2010, the song “Love the Way You Lie,” a collaboration with rapper Eminem, which can be found on his album “Recovery,” rose from second to first place on the Billboard Hot 100 after two weeks and became Rihanna’s seventh number-one hit. In the UK charts, it reached number two. In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and Germany, it also reached number 1 on the singles charts.
On November 12, 2010, Rihanna’s fifth album Loud was released in Germany and on November 16 in the USA. The album reached number one on the UK and Swiss album charts and was featured in numerous top 10 lists internationally. It sold over eight million units. The singles “Only Girl (In the World),” “What’s My Name?” and “S&M” were a worldwide success and became number-one hits in the USA. On June 4, 2011, Rihanna launched her fourth world tour, the Loud Tour, which took her from North America to her home country of Barbados and included some concerts in South America before heading to Europe. At the end of August 2010, filming began for the action film Battleship. Rihanna played a supporting role in the film as Petty Officer Raines, for which she received the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress in 2013. The film was released in April 2012.
Rihanna’s sixth studio album, Talk That Talk, was released on November 18, 2011. The first single, We Found Love, reached number 1 in Germany, Switzerland, the UK charts, and the USA. It is considered one of the most successful songs worldwide in 2011. She won her sixth Grammy with this song.
Since 2017: Fashion and cosmetics company Fenty
In February 2017, the 5th season of Bates Motel was aired, in which Rihanna plays a supporting role. She also had a small role in the film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets alongside Cara Delevingne.
In September, Rihanna founded her cosmetics company Fenty Beauty, which offers makeup for various skin tones. In May, she launched a lingerie line called Savage X Fenty. In September, her first fashion show followed at New York Fashion Week, where she showcased pregnant models.
In June 2018, she played a gangster named Nine Ball in the heist film Ocean’s 8 alongside Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Anne Hathaway. Since April 2019, Rihanna has been seen alongside actor Donald Glover in the thriller Guava Island on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. The film premiered at the Coachella Festival.
Together with the French luxury goods company LVMH, Rihanna founded her own fashion label called Fenty in Paris in May 2019. The first collection includes sunglasses, jewelry, and shoes. She is the first woman to develop a brand for LVMH and the first black chief designer at the helm of a fashion house.
In September, the second Savage X Fenty Show was showcased at New York Fashion Week, the show has been airing on Amazon Prime Video since September 20, and the lingerie is available on Amazon. In October, her autobiography titled Rihanna was published by Phaidon.
In December, she was awarded a prize by the British Fashion Council at the British Fashion Awards in London for her fashion label Fenty.
Music
Musical style and singing
Rihanna blends R&B music with elements of Caribbean music such as reggae and dancehall. In doing so, “her style merges Caribbean rhythms with common elements of dance-pop.”
Her debut album featured productions by Rihanna’s discoverers, Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, such as the debut single Pon de Replay, influenced by traditional reggae and dance-pop. The same musical styles are found on her second musical album. Rihanna then ventured into pop and R&B music. The music production team Stargate and Ne-Yo produced, among other things, her hit “Unfaithful.” With songs like Kisses Don’t Lie and Shut Up and Drive, the musical style was more oriented toward rock. The third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, is more aligned with dance-pop than the dancehall and reggae style of the previous albums.
Most of her love ballads produced by Stargate and written by Ne-Yo feature a pop-oriented sound with R&B influences and delicately strummed acoustic guitars. Some of her faster dance-pop songs are produced by Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, Christopher Stewart, and J. R. Rotem. Rihanna’s tracks also feature samples from other pieces such as Soft Cell’s Tainted Love in SOS, New Order’s Blue Monday in Shut Up and Drive, and the 1970s piece Soul Makossa by Manu Dibango in Don’t Stop the Music, which includes a part of the chorus from Michael Jackson’s Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.
Influences and Reception
Rihanna cites Mariah Carey, Madonna, and Janet Jackson as her role models. Beyoncé also has a strong influence on Rihanna’s music. According to Rihanna, she started singing after seeing Beyoncé perform with Destiny’s Child. Other musical influences include Bob Marley (for whom Rihanna built a shrine in her Los Angeles home), Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, Celine Dion, Brandy, and Gwen Stefani.
Jon Bream from the Star Tribune comments: “In the tradition of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Rihanna has become the video beast of the 2000s…” Rihanna has perfected the pouting lips, long legs and trendsetting hairstyles.” George Epaminondas from InStyle magazine finds Rihanna’s music videos “cinematic” because of their “mix of island rhythms and swinging pop and … mischievous sensuality.”
In Barbados, a street was named after her in 2017.
Public perception
At the beginning of her career, Rihanna had the image of a reggae musician. In addition, she was often compared to Beyoncé Knowles, which Rihanna herself perceived as negative, as she was often referred to as a “copy” of Knowles. According to media reports at the time, the two artists were particularly similar in appearance and musical style.
With the release of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad, the public image of the artist changed. This change in image was reflected in both her music and her public appearances. From then on, the singer’s clothing style became bolder. In 2009, Glamor writer Tracey Lomrantz summarized Rihanna’s style as follows: “If style risks were measured in miles, Rihanna would have circled the globe a thousand times.” Due to her clothing style, she was placed on the list of the 10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008 by People magazine. In October 2011, she was voted the Sexiest Woman Alive by the readers of the US magazine Esquire. In August 2010, a wax figure of Rihanna was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Washington, D.C.
Successes and Records
Rihanna set several records in the German singles charts and in the Billboard Hot 100. In November 2008, eight songs from her album Good Girl Gone Bad were simultaneously in the Hot 100 charts, a feat previously achieved only by Shania Twain. From June 8, 2007, to May 15, 2009, she was continuously present in the German singles charts for 100 weeks, longer than any other artist. This puts her in third place behind Michael Jackson and the Backstreet Boys. In the British charts, she holds the record for the longest number-one placement with “Umbrella.” In addition, she is the only artist with a total of eight number-one placements on the Billboard Pop Songs in the USA. In 2010, Rihanna was able to place herself in the Guinness Book of Records with the success of her single “Umbrella” as the “Best-Selling Download Female Artist in the U.K.” After Rihanna was already able to place herself in the Guinness Book of Records in 2010, she also managed to place herself in the 2012 edition with her four number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2010 as the “artist with the most number-one hits in a year.”
Social Engagement
Rihanna joined the Believe Foundation in 2006, a charity organization that supports children with cancer. On July 7, 2007, Rihanna performed in the Japanese city of Chiba as part of the Live Earth concerts. In 2008, she participated in the charity project Stand Up to Cancer and recorded the benefit song Just Stand Up! with many other female singers.
Since 2008, Rihanna, along with the Believe Foundation, has supported the international branch DKMS Americas of the German Bone Marrow Donor Center (DKMS) and was able to help save the life of 41-year-old mother Lisa Gershowitz Flynn in 2009 by calling for people to register with DKMS, resulting in over 5,000 new bone marrow donors signing up and 2,000 potential new donors being found.
After the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, Rihanna joined the charity organization Hope for Haiti Now and performed at the associated fundraising gala alongside many other stars. They sang the song Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) together. The proceeds also went to Hope for Haiti Now.
In March 2011, Rihanna became part of the UNICEF campaign Celebrity Tap Water, where stars bottle their own tap water and auction it off on the internet. The money raised is used for people in countries that have problems with their water supply. After the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan in March 2011, Rihanna took part in a benefit album, the proceeds of which were donated to the Japanese Red Cross. Rihanna provided her single “Only Girl (In the World).”
On April 28, 2011, she attended the fifth DKMS Gala, which supports leukemia patients, in New York City. In an interview, she said that the topic of leukemia was very important to her because especially children suffered from this disease. She received an award for her commitment.
On July 11, 2011, Rihanna performed in Birmingham (Alabama) as part of her Loud Tour. The proceeds of this concert were intended for the victims of the tornado disaster in Alabama in April 2011. About 75,000 was raised. In March 2012, Rihanna also advocated for the Kony 2012 campaign to gain attention.
In October 2012, she founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in the name and memory of her maternal grandparents for socially disadvantaged people. The foundation focuses particularly on the areas of health, education, arts, and culture.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day 2016, Rihanna supported Prince Harry in his commitment to AIDS patients by publicly undergoing a blood test with him.
In February 2017, she was awarded the title of “Humanitarian of the Year 2017” by the Harvard Foundation of Harvard University. Due to her social commitment, her Clara Lionel Foundation, and for the construction of a breast cancer treatment center in Bridgetown, Barbados, she was awarded this prize.
In solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and the protests against racism, Rihanna canceled an appearance at the 2019 Super Bowl.
Awards
Rihanna has won, among other awards, eight Grammy Awards, eighteen Billboard Music Awards, and two BRIT Awards. In addition, she has been awarded several MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, American Music Awards, NRJ Music Awards, People’s Choice Awards, and Teen Choice Awards. In 2016, she received an honorary award from MTV, the “Michael Jackson Vanguard Award.” In her home country of Barbados, Rihanna secured over 30 Barbados Music Awards. February 21 was declared “Rihanna Day” there.
